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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. firm — steady
  3. spell — a short time
  4. cold — not warm
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. prune — to trim
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. firm — decided
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. pound — a weight
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. firm — a company
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. spell — letters
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. cold — an illness
  20. prune — to trim
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. spell — magic

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com